Learn How to Paint a Linen Finish

Linen defines elegance on your walls that could work equally work in the sunroom or in your formal dining room. For these walls, we are using a stucko white base coat and an alfalfa tinted glazed. The key materials for this finish are 7-inch dry linen weaver brush and a standard roller frame with a quarter inch nap paint roller cover. After you apply the base coat and let it dry, mask the baseboards and the ceilings with 2-inch low tack painters tape. The glaze will be applied in vertical sections. First, divide the wall in approximately 30-inch horizontal increments using your level with printed measurements. Measure it several levels on the wall. With your level as your guide, extend the lines vertically, using a pencil that matches your paint color, in this case, light green.
With low tack painters tape, mask off alternating sections. To end a section on a corner, tape the edge of the adjoining wall where they meet in the corner. Press the tape firmly to prevent paint seeping. Apply a thin layer of glaze using the paint roller. Smooth out all roller marks with a light vertical stroke. Beginning and the top left hand corner of the section, lightly drag the dried linen weaver brush horizontally across the section using smooth even strokes. Remember, you’re trying to create the look of threads. Each stroke should stop and start on the painters tape. To reduce smudging, drag away from corners rather than into them. After each stroke, remove excess glaze from the brush with a lint free cotton cloth, old t-shirts are perfect for this job. Immediately upon finishing the horizontal strokes, begin back at the top of the section with vertical strokes that run the entire length of the section.
When the section is complete, immediately remove the painter tape and allow to dry for at least 24 hours. When the initial sections are dry, taped off the remaining sections and repeat the process.


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